See Me
by Errand Girl
Summary: She was used to being 'just one of the guys'. She was used to not being seen as a girl. She was used to being mocked for not being 'lady like'. So, why did it hurt that he thought the same way? Klance


Keith gasped for air as she glared at the training bot. At the back of her mind, she felt relief as the ache in her chest was replaced by the burn in her arms and legs. Though, the ache was still better than the stabbing pain of a few days ago.

* * *

_Keith really wasn't sure why she'd agree to come to this festival. None of the 'games' made any sense to her. And she was sure some of them were rigged. She hadn't managed to win a single prize. But, at least her teammates were having a fun time. She looked over at them, currently playing a shooter game, while she'd been left on the side lines to watch the prizes that they'd already won. Her gaze focused on Lance, his large grin, his determined eyes. Her heart fluttered as he let out a whoop of victory._

_She accepted some time ago, that she had fallen for him. But, she didn't want to tell him. She didn't want to put him on the spot. She wanted him to ask her first. Besides, wasn't that the way it was supposed to work? Weren't the guys supposed to ask the girls? Or was she getting that backwards? She'd never payed attention to this stuff before. Now she was really wishing she had._

_She picked up their bags of stuff, and walked over to see what Lance had won. It was a small calico cat plushie, with sown on emerald eyes, and a smile, in a laying down possession. Keith found it really cute. She'd always wanted a cat when she was little, and would always beg her dad for one before he died. He'd gotten her a plush doll of a cat, which was the next best thing, but she'd lost it after she was taken to the orphanage. She really missed it._

_She looked over at Lance as he gave the plushie a look. "It's cute… But, keeping something like this around won't do my image any good. Plus, I've already got heaps of stuff."_

_Keith raised an eyebrow at him. "Then, why don't you give it to someone else?"_

_Lance turned to her and gave her a long, thoughtful look. For a few seconds, she wondered if she'd said something weird, or if Lance was going to give the cat to her. But then he turned to Allura and held it out to her._

"_Here you go, Princess." He said with a charming smile._

"_Really? You don't mind?" She asked._

"_Nah. Girly stuff really suits you well." He turned to Keith was a large grin. "Nothing at all like Keith."_

_As soon as the words left his mouth, sharp, stabbing pain bloomed in her chest. She swallowed thickly before putting on a light air, scratching the back of her head._

"_Yeah, you got me there." She said lightly. "Some days I wonder why I wasn't just born a guy."_

_They had all laughed, but the pain didn't fade._

* * *

"End simulation!"

Keith was broken out of her trance as she heard the familiar voice echo across the room. She turned towards the door to see Allura running towards her, worry etched in her face. Keith ears were buzzing from exhaustion and adrenaline, making it impossible to hear anything that Allura was saying as she led her to sit down along the wall.

She sank to the floor, still in Allura's arms. She could hear her asking why she was in the training room so late and if she was alright. But… no… she wasn't. She thought that she was getting over it. She thought that it didn't hurt anymore. But, she was wrong. Sitting there, she felt tears prick at her eyes. All she could think was, 'It hurt. It hurt'. She was used to the mocking for not being 'girly'. She fine with being 'one of the guys'. She'd always told herself that. But, with Lance, it was different. She **wanted** him to see her as a girl. She wanted him to see her the way he did Allura. But he didn't. He never did.

Keith broke down, crying in Allura's arms. Through her broken sobs, she told the woman that was like a big sister to her why she was in pain. Allura listened patiently as Keith cried out all of her hurt feelings. She sighed.

"So you did want that cat, after all." She whispered. "I had a feeling you did. But, it would be completely meaningless if I were to give it to you now. Wouldn't it?"

Keith sobbed softly. She was trembling like a leaf. Allura had never she her so hurt. But, even the strongest, weren't invincible.

"You could always ask Lance to buy you one."

Keith shook her head. "You don't understand. He doesn't even see me as a girl, Allura. He would just laugh at me."

Allura tightened her hold on the crying girl.

"If only… If only I wasn't me. If I was someone else and could just start over."

* * *

Lance grinned as he walked into the café with his two teammates. He'd been hearing really good things about this place, and since they were stuck in the area for a while, he really wanted to check it out. As they were seated at a table, he marvelled at the uniforms of the waitresses. It was an unusual dress with the skirt being a long piece of light cloth that went over one arm, like a toga, with an under-suit that only had one sleave on the opposite side, which was more two long strips of cloth attached to shoulder and wrist. The outfit was completed with a pair of knee high boots. The colours varied from person to person, but Lance thought it was amazing.

"It's a pity Keith couldn't join us." Hunk sighed.

Pidge gave him a flat look. "If she knew where Lance was taking us, she would have clobbered him then stormed off."

Lance was about to respond, when a soft, yet very familiar voice spoke to them.

"H-Hello. Welcome to Shooting Star. Would you like a menu?"

Lance, Hunk and Pidge all turned to stare at the person right next to them. She was in her Galra form, light purple skin, with fluffy cat-like ears on the sides of her head, hair a darker, almost black shade of purple, and the part of her eye that was meant to be white as yellow. She was also wearing a red version the café's uniform, but there was no doubt that it was her. Lance would recognise that mullet anywhere.

"Keith…?" Lance breathed, dumbfounded.

'Keith' looked up at the sound of the name and locked eyes with him, then Hunk, then Pidge. She flinched back in shock as she stared at them.

"L-Lance?! Hunk?! Pidge?!" She shouted in shock, holding the menus that she was about to give them close to her chest.

"What are you doing working in a place like this?!" Pidge shouted.

"I… I'm helping out my mother…" 'Keith' said in a timid voice, half hiding behind the menus.

Lance stared at Keith for a few seconds, before letting out an evil grin. He'd never seen Keith so nervous before. This was the perfect opportunity to mess with her. He was going to get some serious pay back for beating him in their last competition.

"So, you can wear skirts." He leered at her. "And you actually do have a chest."

'Keith' blushed and stammered as Lance continued his attack, ignoring Pidge and Hunk's attempt to get him to stop. She took a few nervous steps back, holding the menus like some kind of shield.

"I… I'm not Keith!" She shouted.

"Huh?" All three paladins said in unison.

"I'm not Keith." She said again. "I'm Kolora Kogane. I'm Keith older half-sister."

The three paladins stared at her for a few minutes, trying to process what they'd just been told. Last time they checked, Keith was an only child. She'd never told them about a half-sister.

"But, you knew our names." Pidge pointed out.

'Kolora' blushed and shifted shyly. "Well, you see. Keith is always talking about all of you, and she showed me a picture of that time you all went to the pool together."

"Keith didn't tell us she had a sister." Hunk said sounding slightly hurt.

"Well… She didn't exactly know until fairly recently." She looked away, twirling some of her hair with her finger. "Mother had always told me that I had a little half-sister out there, somewhere. But, I'd never believed her until I actually saw Keith with my own two eyes."

She looked at the three of them nervously. Lance was having some trouble taking all of this in. He didn't believe the 'half-sister' story for a second, but he couldn't bring himself to say that. Though, now that he thought of it, if Keith were to act like this back at the castle, it would be really weird. Keith was a tomboy that oozed confidence and was always a hothead. So, this Keith…

"I see…" Lance smiled and Kolora. "Sorry about the misunderstanding, Kolora."

Pidge and Hunk quickly caught on, playing along with their own apologies.

Kolora smiled and them warmly, relief in her eyes. "No, no, it's fine. Thank you for understanding."

The four of them talked for a while. Kolora explained that she was working in the café to try and help gather information for her mother and the Blades. This café was very popular and was even visited by wealthy people quite often, so it made it the perfect place to gather info. When Lance asked it Keith was going to be helping out, she shook her head.

"No. Keith doesn't really like girly stuff. Even if she did, she's not exactly used to walking in heels." She pointed to the heels on her boots to emphasise her point.

Lance laughed. "Yeah, I guess it's for the best that you're here instead of Keith."

The three others looked at him questioningly.

"That outfit wouldn't suit Keith in the least." He continued, smiling his best charming smile at Kolora. "But, it suits you perfectly, Kolora."

Kolora blushed brightly, shifting her head down in an attempt to hide behind her fringe.

"What is that… supposed to mean?" She asked.

Before Lance could answer, someone called out to Kolora. As she turned to see who it was, she recognised that it was the girl that was meant to be covering her break. She turned back to the paladins and apologised for having to leave so soon, which they brushed off.

"Sorry about teasing you in Keith's stead." Lance apologised.

She grinned and pocked her tongue out at him. "I'm going to be telling my little sis about this. So you better be ready to really have it in your next competition."

Lance grinned. "Hah! Tell her to bring her to bring it on! It's payback time!"

Kolora continued to poke her tongue out at him as she headed into the back room for her break. As soon as she was out of sight, the three of them all burst out laughing. The whole situation was just so random and weird. They all really wanted to know how Korila had managed to talk Keith into doing this.

"I can't believe you just flirted with Keith." Pidge wheezed.

"She flirted back." Lance countered.

They all continued to laugh until their drinks came. Lance smiled, even if it was only for a few hours, he got to see a cute and girly version of their fearless Red Paladin. As he stirred his straw through his milkshake, he wondered what they were all going to say to Keith the next time they saw her. Maybe: 'Hey. We met your half-sister today', something like that.

* * *

Lance let out a roar of frustration as he looked up at the score board for the training simulator. Once again, Keith had beaten him, and by quite a hefty margin. She was really going all out today. He turned to her with a determined glare, as she walked over to the weapons rack to put away her equipment. Her face was schooled into its usual impassive expression. It was impossible to see the cute Kolora of yesterday in this indifferent and cold woman.

"Come on!" He yelled, stubbornly. "One more round."

"As much as would **love** to kick your arse again," she replied in a bored tone. "I have to go help my mum today. So maybe later."

As they exited the training room, they ran into Allura, who was on her way to the bridge and they all started walking together. Keith sighed and stretched her right arm above her head.

"The work's a lot harder than I would have expected. Especially since I'm not used to it." she continued.

Lance hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess being a waitress would be a lot of hard work."

"HUH?!" Allura exclaimed in surprise and excitement. "Keith, you're working as a waitress?! What restaurant? What are the uniforms like?"

Keith flushed brightly as she waved her hands in front of her franticly. "N-No! No! I'm… I'm helping to train some new recruits for the Blades! _Kolora's_ the waitress!"

Lance scratched the back of his head, realising his mistake. Of course Keith wouldn't want anyone knowing about her under cover mission, especially after she's even made up that story about an older half-sister. Though, some small part of him had wanted to see Keith act more like 'Kolora'.

"Right, sorry." He apologised. "You just look so alike. I mean, if we got you both side by side in your Galra form, anyone would think you're twins."

Allura smiled curiously as she tapped her chin with her forefinger. "Who's Kolora?"

Lance smiled innocently. "She's Keith's older half-sister."

"Lance!" Keith almost shrieked, face completely red.

Lance ignored her and continued. "She looks exactly like Keith, when she's in her Galra form. But, she's the complete opposite in terms of personality. Kolora is really cute with an angelic smile."

"Lance, for the love of all that is good," Keith wailed. "Please tell me you didn't _flirt_ with her!"

"Really?" Allura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I don't remember you mentioning a sister, Keith."

Keith was stammering now, causing Lance to fight back some laughter at the sight. "O-Oh, well… We didn't exactly know the other existed until fairly recently… and with everyone being so busy…"

Allura smiled. "I want to meet her."

"S-Sorry! I gotta go!" Keith flinched and began to make a hasty retreat towards the hanger.

Allura giggled as they watched the usually 'gung-ho' Red Paladin run as if all of hell was after her. Lance was struggling to hold back his own laughter as he wondered if she'd be able to get to Falling Star Cafe on her own.

"Keith was acting really cute just now." Allura said, still giggling. "I wonder why."

* * *

Back in his room, Lance was leaning back against his bed, groaning in hunger and dread. He was hungry after all of that competition with Keith, but he didn't want to eat any of the food goo. It wasn't that it tasted 'bad' perse, but there was only so much he could take of it. He let out another groan, ignoring the opening door.

"Well, someone seems blue."

Lance's eyes widened instantly at the familiar voice. It was Keith's, but it was softer than he'd ever heard her speak, so that meant… He looked over at the door to see a Galra with hair cut into a mullet, a cute smile on her face. She was wearing a long black skirt, and a sleeveless turtle neck, with a pair of fingerless black gloves, a red ribbon tied at the back of her head.

"Kolora?!"

She giggled at his reaction. "Surprise! Keith lent me her key."

He was about to ask her why she was there, when she held out a Bento to him.

"Keith told me about the green goop, you guys usually eat," She explained. "So, I thought you could use a change."

Lance's eyes lit up with excitement. It had always been a personal dream of his to be made lunch by a cute girl. He reached out to the Bento, but paused. This was Keith, even if she was here as 'Kolora', she could still be mad about the earlier teasing. He turned to Kolora sceptically.

"It doesn't have ghost pepper hot sauce or anything, does it?"

She gave him an insulted look and snapped. "I'm not my sister! Fine. If you don't want it, I'll eat it myself."

She began to retract the box, when Lance reached out to stop her. He'd made it a point of pride to never turn down an offer from a cute girl. Even if she is, technically, Keith.

"No, no. I do want it." He protested, before grinning. "Thank you. I will savour every bite."

Kolora smiled back, handing him the box. "It's nothing special."

Once the box was in Lance's hands, she backed up towards the door. Still smiling, she bid Lance farewell, telling him to just give the box to Keith to return.

Sitting in his room, Lance opened the bento to see fried rice, mixed vegies, katsu chicken and… were those…? Yes, she'd even made garlic knots. He remembered telling Keith about his mother's garlic knots, but he'd never have thought she'd remember it, let alone look up how to make it. Finding somewhere that sold garlic, or something like it, all the way out here would have been a nightmare.

Picking up one of the knots, he took a bite and hummed in delight. It tasted delicious, almost better than his mother's, as much as he hated to admit it. Taking another bite, he sent a silent 'thank you' to the Red Paladin.

* * *

The next day, saw all of the Paladins running training exercises together. Keith, as usual, was acting like she'd rather be anywhere else. Despite having grown closer with the rest of the team, she still didn't open up easily. However, there was something about her demeanour that seemed different to Lance, like she was trying a little harder to actually work with the others, and less on her own. It was a little odd, but he was also happy. Maybe Keith was finally getting over herself and acknowledging that they were all a part of the team.

They were currently going through an exercise, involving the theoretical scenario, where one of the team was out of commission for whatever reason. Lance had drawn the short straw this round, and so was the one sitting it out. Allura sat next to him, watching with thoughtful eyes. She turned to Lance with the cryptic smile she usually wore during negotiations.

"Keith sure is an unusual one, isn't she?"

"How do you mean?" Lance asked.

"She's very strong, no one can deny that. But, despite being a girl, she seems content to act like a boy." She elaborated.

Lance nodded sagely. "Yeah, that's defiantly true."

"However," Allura continued softly, her voice suddenly serious and melancholic. "When you scrape away that surface layer of boyishness, Keith is actually very feminine."

Lance raised an eyebrow at Allura. While he would agree that Keith could be feminine that was only when she was acting at 'Kolora'. Allura hadn't even met 'Kolora' yet, so there was no way she could be talking about that. So, she had to be talking about Keith as Keith.

"Allura," Lance began slowly. "Did you hit your head?"

"I'm being serious!" Allura snapped with a huff. She sighed and turned back to the rest of the team. "Keith's mother left her and her father when she was very young, and after that she got moved around from foster home to foster home, correct? She probably didn't have any positive female role models. Actually, wasn't Shiro the first positive figure in her life after her father's passing? I can't imagine that helps with a girl's sense of femininity."

Lance had never thought of that, but he guessed it did make sense. If the only role models she had were guys, it made sense that she wouldn't display any of her more feminine traits very well. You know, if she had any. But, then… Kolora was very lady like, and cute and sweet, and she was Keith in her Galra form with some different clothing.

"I hope you remember that, Lance." Allura finished softly.

Lance was consumed by his thoughts. Keith and Kolora, two girls that were, clearly, the same person, but had completely different personalities. One was a strong willed, hot headed, member of Voltron, who hated social interaction with a passion, the other was a sweet and timid girl that, while having a playful and teasing side, clearly wanted to be better at talking to others. What was Kolora to Keith? Was she just a cover?

* * *

A little later, Lance was standing outside the Falling Star Café, a small paper bag in his hand, carrying the Bento that Kolora had given him. He smiled as he looked up at the place. He was going to get to see that cute girl again. Geez, if it weren't for the fact that Kolora was Keith, he'd be flirting her into a date every chance he got. He was about to head into the Café, when he heard someone call his name.

"Lance?"

He turned around to see the familiar face of Kolora in the same outfit she'd been wearing the day before. Lance smiled and walked up to her and she approached.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Lance held out the bag for her. "I came to return this. I wasn't going to make Keith do my job for me."

Kolora giggled. "Well, aren't you chivalrous?"

Lance puffed his chest out proudly, that was very high praise coming from her. He was about to leave, when she invited him into the Café. Since she didn't start her shift for another thirty minutes, they had some time to talk.

Sitting at a table, they talked about all kinds of things, about earth, about the war, about silly thing, about Voltron. Lance had a lot of fun talking to her. After he finished telling her a story about one of the mission that he and the rest of the team had gone on, after Keith had left to join the Blades that time, Kolora let out a soft sigh.

"It sounds like you all really do make a great team." She said, barely above a whisper. "You all look out for each other, keep each other strong. I'm actually a little jealous."

Lance was taken aback at this. Kolora, Keith, had just said that she was jealous, of him. But, it made no sense. She was jealous of them being a team that looked out for each other. Keith was part of that team too.

"I wonder," she continued with a distant smile. "If I ever got into a tight spot, would someone help me the way you help each other?"

Lance didn't mean to say what he did next. He really didn't. He'd wanted to assure her that they would all be there for her, that they'd defiantly be there for her if she was ever in danger. That was what he wanted to say. But, instead he said.

"Now there's a question." He chuckled lightly. "Though with you, I think you'd be able to do just fine on your own, Keith."

'Kolora' flinched and half hid behind her bangs.

"I'm Kolora." Lance immediately started to apologise, and she huffed. "Lance, you don't even see my sister as a girl, yet you keep mixing us up. Geez."

"That's not true." He protested. "If Keith were a guy, we'd be at each other's throats even more than we already are."

"Alright," she said slowly, fixing him with a look. "Let's do a little thought experiment."

Lance swallowed. For some reason he had a bad feeling about this.

"Say both me and Keith are in a bad spot… Let's say… dangling from a cliff." She leaned forward and rested her head on the back of her hands. "Which of us would you save?"

"What? I can't save both?" Lance blanched.

"No. While I have no doubt, if the situation was real, you would be able to save both, this is a thought exercise. You can only save one."

Lance pursed his lips, his thoughts buzzing in his ears. Keith was his rival, but she was also his friend, and a valued member of the team. She'd saved each of them numerous times, despite her lack of trust in them. But, Kolora was just a normal girl, right? Even if she was Galra, she was only trained as a 'spy' right? But, Kolora and Keith were the same person. Keith would be able to get out of that kind of a situation on her own easily. But, like Kolora said, this was a thought experiment, so the danger applied equally to both.

"So? Who would you save?"

Lance bit his lip, his mind torn in two different directions. Keith or Kolora, only one could be saved… But they were the same person… Was Keith trying to tell him something through Kolora?

"In the end, it really…" Lance muttered to himself. "Keith is always…"

He was snapped out of his mental merry-go-round by Kolora laughing. She gave him a cheerful smiled, still giggling.

"Oops. Looks like our little game sent you into a bit of and existential crisis. Sorry." She quickly stood up from the table, the paper bag with her Bento in hand. "Well, it's time for me to clock on, now. Don't worry about the drinks, they're on me this time."

Lance sat there, watching her retreat into the staff room. What was Keith trying to tell him?

* * *

Later that night, Lance was surprised by Keith knocking on his door. Her face was set with a disinterested look, but there was something shining in her dark, purple eyes. Something he couldn't quite place. She told him that 'Kolora' had wanted him to know that there was a special dessert event going on at the café tomorrow. When he asked why, Keith just shrugged.

"Guess she's taken a shine to you." She turned and began walking away. "Why, though, is beyond me."

* * *

The next morning, after everyone had had breakfast, Lance had found himself sending Keith off to her 'recruit training' with Allura. As she boarded Red, she turned back to them to wave, and to Lance's shock, he saw a soft, shy smile on her face.

"Keith sure seems to be in a good mood, lately." Allura said as Red left their sight. "I'm glad she's cheered up."

Lance turned to her in confusion. Keith had always had a little bit of an emo streak. But the way that Allura had said that, implied that wasn't what she was referring to. He stumbled after her as she turned to exit the cockpit, barely noticing Hunk and Pidge as they went through the door.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Allura paused. "You didn't know, Lance?"

She turned to him and Lance felt something cold grip his heart. The look on Allura's face was simultaneously pleasant and menacing. She had a serene smile on her face, but her eyes were burning with a cold furry. He had never seen that kind of look on her face, not even when they found out about Keith being part Galra.

"Recently," She began, her voice reflecting the cold anger in her eyes. "Keith was deeply hurt."

Lance's mind went blank. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Keith, their hot tempered, strong willed semi-leader, had been hurt. The part of his mind that wasn't shocked into shut down, was currently growling in anger at whatever or whoever had caused Keith pain. The rest of him was silently taking in what Allura was saying as she continued.

"She pretended that it didn't bother her. But, like any untreated wound, it swelled and became enflamed. To the point where even the tinnies poke was agony for her." The fact that her voice was so level, despite her obvious anger, made her all the more frightening. "I found her in the training room a few days ago, working herself to the brink of collapse, trying to dull the pain. In the end, she broke down in tears, in my arms."

Finally, Lance found his voice. The worry and shock was obvious in it, as he tried to get the words out. "Who… Who hurt Keith?"

Just as suddenly as the anger had appeared, it vanished. Allura tapped her chin thoughtfully, an innocent smile plastered on her lips. She looked up at the ceiling with a hum.

"I wonder who, indeed." She said simply.

Lance floundered. He couldn't believe she'd just dump that on him, then act clueless. She had to know who hurt Keith, or at least what they'd had done. So, why wouldn't she tell him?

He shouted after her as she scampered off down the hallway, cheerfully stating that she didn't know. Lance could only watch helplessly, with his arm stretched out, as she left. Keith had been hurt, and he'd never even noticed. One of their teammates was in pain and he wasn't there for her.

But, Allura had also said that Keith had been in a good mood lately. He'd seen her smile as she left, so she had to have cheered up. Maybe, it had just been a misunderstanding. When he thought of that look in Allura's eyes, and the cold anger in her voice, it felt as if she'd been accusing him. But, if he'd been the one to hurt Keith, why would she invite him to a special event at the café?

* * *

He was still thinking about it as he walked up to the entrance of Falling Star. He guessed that the event must be popular, because the café was packed. He was about to look around for Kolora, when he was approached by one of her co-workers. He asked her about all the extra people as she led him to a table.

She gave him an uncomfortable smile. "All of these customers are from off planet. You may want to be careful. Some don't really think about their actions."

Their attention was drawn to a nearby table as a shout of shock and a crash came from it. There were three males sitting at that table. One of them had a dessert from the café on his pants. Kneeling in front of them, an upturned tray under he hands and other desserts all over the floor, was Keith, in her Kolora disguise. She was looking really uncomfortable and almost scared as the men yelled at her.

The co-worker next to him sighed. "See, he just tripped her on purpose."

Lance was about to ask why, when the man with the dessert on his pants said something that made him shudder.

"Guess you'll just have to _wipe_ it off." He leered and the Galra still kneeling on the floor.

Suddenly all the man around them started cheering, chanting for her to do just that. Lance stared in horror at the scene. Keith looked like she was about to burst into tears. Lance had never seen her so frightened. He looked at the other employees, but they were all just ignoring the situation.

He turned back to Keith. He knew she was strong enough to take them out. He begged her to fight back. But, she didn't. She just sat there, as everyone around her chanted on and encouraged the sexual harassment. He couldn't believe this was happening. Why wasn't anyone helping her?

"_If I ever got into a tight spot, would someone help me the way you help each other?"_

Quiznak, what was he doing? Keith needed help and he was just standing there, waiting for someone else to do it. No, he wasn't just going to stand by and watch. He was going to save her.

Anger and resolve flooding his system, Lance ran up to her, pulling her into him arms and glaring at the man that had the dessert on his pants. He held Keith tightly as she looked up at him in surprise.

"You disgusting piece of trash!" He seethed. "Get the hell out before I decide to introduce you to my fire arm!"

The man glared back at him. "This girl ruined my pants. She has to be punished."

Now Lance was really mad. He rose to his feet, hands balled into fists. "You're the one that needs to be punished…" he swung at the man. "For sexually harassing my friend!"

The man tried to avoid the punch and get one of his own in, but Lance wasn't the Blue Paladin for nothing. He easily dodged the counter and clocked the man in the stomach. As he fell to the floor, all of the other man seemed to lose their earlier bravado. They shrank away as he turned to glare at them all.

"Never under estimate a Paladin of Voltron."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the men all scattered, leaving the first man still on the ground. Lance turned back to 'Kolora', kneeling down to look her in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

Kolora could only nod as he helped her to her feet. Lance was feeling pretty good about himself as she went back to work. He'd managed to protect her from a danger that she couldn't fight her way through, and was able to look cool while doing it. He smiled as he remembered the blush that had spread across her face as he'd helped her up.

He was about to go to a table, when he overheard some of the other men in the café whispering about waiting until he left to make their move on Keith. Anger boiled in him again as he heard those words. These perverts had made a grave mistake. First: Not only had they planned on harassing a young girl, but they'd been planning to do it to Keith. Second: Lance was not above sacrificing his pride in order to win a fight. And third: When you took on one member of Voltron, you took on _all_ of them.

* * *

Within minutes, Allura, Hunk, Pidge and Shiro had all arrived at the café. As Lance explained the situation, their faces went from shocked, to disgusted, to enraged. Shiro and Allura, most of all, looked like they wanted to snap the necks of everyone in that building.

"I can't believe they'd do that to K-Kolora!" Pidge raged.

Shiro took a deep breath, before fixing his eyes on the men in the building. "Let's see what we can do."

Lance shivered. Shiro was serious. He was seriously going to murder everyone there. Lance thanked them all, before they started to go over the plan. From that moment, anyone that so much as looked at 'Kolora' in the wrong way was their enemy.

Their first target didn't take long to show themselves. As Kolora walked by some new comers, one of them stuck out their leg, tripping her. She let out a startled shout and she started to fall, the dessert tray heading straight for the lap of the other man at the table.

Before the tray could land, Hunk moved. Faster than anyone would think possible of the big guy, he caught the tray, and Kolora, while ensuring no food was ruined. Just for his own personal satisfaction, he also sent the men at the table flying. Lance, Allura and Shiro grinned as they watched. With Hunk acting as body guard, Keith was untouchable. Now was time for the next part of their plan. He went to tell Pidge to head for the staff room, only for her to stick her head out of the door.

"Oh, Lance." She grinned. "I've already done my job."

He was about to ask her what she meant, when about half of the men in the café began to moan about their stomachs and needing to go to the toilet. Lance turned to Pidge as she held up a small test tube. She had a sadistic grin plastered to her face.

"People that attack a girl like that deserve no mercy."

The men all started to run towards the café's toilets. Now it was Allura's turn. As they reached the men's, they were stopped by an 'out of order' sign on the door. The men were all starting to reach their limit, so in desperation; they turned to the lady's.

As they threw open the door, they came face to face with Allura, who had transformed into a child version of herself. The men all stared at her in awkward silence, before trying to explain what was going on. That was when Allura put on the water works, once the men saw that, they were ripe for the fooling.

Wiping away a 'stray' tear, she gave them an innocent smile. "If you're in trouble, I can show you the way to another bathroom."

As the men began to follow her, Lance turned to Shiro and nodded. It was time for the final blow. As the men approached the front entrance, Shrio stepped in front of them, blocking it as he gave the men a smug look.

"Do you know what will happen once you leave?" He asked.

Shiro grinned and pointed to the poster that lined out the rules of the event. Specifically, to the line that said 'once you leave you cannot re-entre'. The men all shouted in shock, causing their stomachs to hurt even more. There was a moment of silence, before the men all ran out the door, swearing revenge as they went.

The Paladins all grinned as they high-fived each other.

"Mission: Protect Kolora, is a success." Pidge pronounced proudly.

Kolora stared at them in shock, her face flushing brightly. "This… You did this for me?" She turned on her heel and began running to the staff room in embarrassment. "I'm sorry!"

Everyone laughed as they watched her flee.

* * *

A little while later, Lance was sitting at a table with Allura, who had managed to slip the men and come back in her true form. Shiro, Hunk and Pidge had all decided to head back to the castle, having other things to do. Allura looked over at Kolora, who had come out of hiding to continue working.

"She really does look like Keith, when she's in her Galra form, doesn't she?" She said with amusement.

Lance laughed. "Yeah. The outside is the same, but the inside is completely different."

"Oh?" Allura smiled at him, but there was something in that smile that set him on edge. "I can't tell the difference."

Lance's heart jolted as he heard the tone in Allura's voice. She really was accusing him.

"Allura," He began nervously. "When you said that Keith had been hurt… What you really wanted to say, was that she'd been hurt because of me, right?" He looked at her desperately, trying to see some clue as to what he'd done. "But, I don't know what I did. Please, Allura. I want to fix it, but I can't if I don't even know what I did."

Allura gave him a soft smile. It was different from the other smiles he'd been seeing lately. It was warm and gentle. It reminded him of his mother's smile when she saw him and his siblings doing something silly. She shook her head.

"No, you're not at fault… well, not the only one at least." She said. "Keith should also share some of the blame. If she'd been honest from the start, maybe this situation wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, for being mad at you." She stood up from the table. "But, I can't tell you what it is that hurt her, Lance. If you don't figure it out yourself, it'll make any apology from you meaningless, in her eyes." She smiled widely at him as she left the café. "As a fellow girl, I can understand."

* * *

Lance scratched his head as he waited for Kolora outside the café entrance. He just couldn't figure it out. What was it that he'd done to hurt Keith? He hadn't touched any of her stuff, so he couldn't have thrown out something of hers by mistake. It was too confusing.

He was broken out of his thoughts, by a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, she saw Kolora behind him, in her usual 'off work' outfit. She smiled at him happily.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's fine." Lance replied. "So, what was it you wanted to do?"

Kolora tugged on some of her hair nervously. "Well, I was hoping you come help me with some shopping."

Lance smiled and held out his arm. "Shall we, then?"

Kolora took the offered arm with a smile. They spent hours walking around town, looking at all the shops and laughing. Lance had to admit, like this Keith really did look like a girl. He really enjoyed spending time with her like this.

As the day was nearing its end, Kolora dragged him to one last shop. It was a small, poky little place, with a large window. In the window was displayed hundreds of cat plushies. Some were made to look like real cats he'd seen back on earth, others were made to look like their Lions, while others looked like little patchwork creations. Lance stared at the plushies in surprise. He hadn't expected her to take them somewhere like this. Kolora leaned in close to the glass to look closely at the plushies.

"Aren't they cute?" She gushed.

"Yeah, I guess." Lance said uncertainly. "But, this seems more like a girl's thing."

Kolora laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Even my tomboy sister thinks that they're cute. Now _that's_ an achievement."

Lance looked at her in surprise. Had she really just said what he thought she had? Kolora didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the cats.

"She'll probably kill me for telling you this." She said slowly. "But, when Keith was little, she really wanted a pet kitten."

Lance's mouth dropped open. The image of a tiny Keith curled up with a tiny tabby kitten in her arms flashed in his mind. That had to be the cutest thing in the entire universe. He was snapped out of his day dreaming as Kolora continued.

"She couldn't have one, of course. Living in the desert, in the middle of nowhere, wasn't exactly the ideal conditions for a pet. So, her dad got her a cat plushie as a substitute." She turned to him. "Lance, don't you have a cat plushie? I think Keith mentioned it once."

Lance shook his head and was about to say he didn't, when he remembered something from about a week or so back. They'd been at a fare when he'd won a shooting game. He'd been given a cat plushie as a prize.

"I won one at a fare..." He said, slowly, almost absently. "But, having something like that wouldn't do my image any good. So I gave it away."

"Oh? To whom?"

Like a bolt of lightning, it suddenly hit him. Keith had been hurt some time before she started going around as Kolora. He remembered the cat plushie. He'd given it to Allura and said that… It suited her better the Keith… She didn't seem to mind at the time but…

Allura's comments about Keith being girly, about Kolora and Keith being the same inside and out, her insistence on referring to her as a girl… It was all starting to make sense. Now, the only thing that he could see was the image of Allura holding Keith in her arms as she cried her eyes out over his thoughtless words.

He wanted to slap himself. How could he have missed something like that? He stared at Kolora as she got this look in her eyes, like she wanted to ask him something. He needed to apologise. He needed to tell her how sorry he was.

But, if he did that now, he'd be apologising to 'Kolora', wouldn't he? He remembered all the times he'd been corrected on the two being 'different'. If he apologised now, it would be meaningless. _Keith_ was the one that had been hurt, not _Kolora_. _Kolora_ had received nothing but praise for her femininity from him.

He was snapped out of his mental self-flogging, as Kolora began to walk away from the shop, telling Lance that it was getting late. He raced after her, catching up easily.

"That cat plushie Keith had," Lance began curiously. "What… Do you know what it looked like?"

Kolora put a thumb and forefinger to her chin and hummed in thought. "I think it was one of those patchwork ones. But, I can't seem to recall the colours."

* * *

"Keith!"

Keith turned in surprise at the sound of her name. She'd just been preparing to head to the training room, when it had stopped her. Looking behind her, she was surprised to see Lance running up to her. His clothes were slightly askew, like he'd been running all over the castle. In his hand was what looked like, a gift bag with some red tissue paper poking out of the top.

She watched in stunned silence as he approached her. Stopping as he reached her, he doubled over, gasping for breath. She felt a little worried.

"Lance? What's wrong?" She asked.

Instead of answering, Lance stood up straight and thrust the bag at her. Startled, and more than a little confused, Keith accepted it. She stared at the bag for a few minutes, before looking up at Lance. It seemed that the universe wasn't done surprising her, because Lance was blushing.

"Lance," She started, but he interrupted her.

"I'm sorry."

Keith's eyes widened to the size of moons. Lance had just apologised to her. She glanced down at the bag in her hands, before looking back at him again. Was this an apology gift? But, she couldn't think of what he was apologising for. It couldn't be for what she was hoping it was. Lance hadn't even remembered the fare until she'd mentioned it as Kolora. So, there was no way he would remember 'that'. Right?

Lance scratched the back of his head nervously, still blushing. "I should have given it to you from the start. I didn't mean what I said back then. I don't even know why I said it."

Keith's heart squeezed painfully in her chest. He was… He was apologising for the fare. Her grip on the bag tightened as he continued.

"Regardless of anything else, I should have considered your feelings." He finally looked up, meeting Keith's eyes. "I do see you as a girl, Keith. And… a very cute one too."

Keith blushed, the same shade of red as her jacket. She couldn't believe this was happening. Lance was apologising for what he'd said and was calling her _cute_. This had to be a dream, there was no other explanation. What he said next was the final nail in the coffin.

"I know I don't deserve it, after what I did. But, would you go on a date with me?"

Tear began to fall down Keith's face. She couldn't take it. Her subconscious was seriously cruel to show her stuff like this, only to snatch it away once she woke up.

"This is cruel." She sniffed. "Showing me this, when I'm going to need to wake up is cruel."

She gasped as she was pulled into a tight hug. Lance rested his head on top of hers, his head slightly craned, due to her being not quite short enough.

"Quiznak, Mullet. Stop being so cute!" He exclaimed. "My heart can only take so much."

Keith's heart and mind were all over the place. She was happy that Lance was hugging her, but she was so confused. She'd been expecting to wake up, like she always did when she called out her subconscious. But, she didn't. And Lance had called her 'Mullet'. The Lance in her dreams never called her that.

She was still internally freaking out, when Lance pulled back slightly. He looked her in the eyes and it took her breath away. There was an affectionate and teasing look in those eyes that had Keith falling all over again. He cradled her head in his hands as he smiled at her.

"When you wake up, I'll say it all again and again, until you know it's real."

* * *

"Whether Kolora or Keith, both sides are adorable."

"Lance, it has been exactly three weeks of this. I know it's not a dream already."

Keith sighed as she leaned back against her boyfriend. They were sitting on her bed, with Lance leaning against the head board and Keith leaning her back against his chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and his chin was resting on top of her head. In Keith's lap, was a red cat plushie, with blue patches and purple eyes.

She felt the rumble of Lance chuckling through her back.

"You're even cuter when you're embarrassed like this." He kissed the top of her head. "And regardless of whether you've accepted reality or not, I'm still going to keep saying it."

"Dumb arse."


End file.
